A Little More Organization

Happy Saturday! I have been so excited for this weekend, not because we have big plans, but because we have no plans and I have nothing that I have to get done. Report cards done, check. Dance recitals done, check. Castle built and brought to school, check. Castle report done, check. House cleaned.........

The small print says to share tips that may help out a new teacher and I hope that these tips help save someone a little time.

Here is my first tip.

Use number cards (these are calendar cards) to label classroom hooks. I used to use labels with student names and each year try and pull them off and replace them with new labels. Needless to say they did not pull off neatly and I wasted time taking them off, making new labels and putting them up. I number my students anyway so using numbers was a super easy system to move to.

Now you might be thinking, that is a really obvious tip, but sometimes I am amazed by how long it takes to figure something so obvious out, or see it on a blog or pinterest and be in shock that I didn't think of it. Case in point. Right next to my lovely numbered hooks are baskets for the students. These are to store their hats, gloves, shoes (I know there is a pair of shoes not in a basket in the pic above!). Each year I LABEL the baskets with the students names. I was just looking at them thinking about tidying up for the end of the year and I thought "Why don't I number the baskets too!" So that is what I will be doing this summer. Making number labels for my baskets. (Note the poorly peeled off label in the pic below!)

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﻿My second tip is for teachers that teach a split grade or loop or for whatever reason have the same students for more than one year. I have been teaching for 14 years and have only had 2 years where I had a straight class of Grade 3's. So to help me keep my resources straight and remember what I used from year to year I started labelling my resources.

For example. I have a baskets of mentor texts for a variety of topics. In the basket I will label the books with an A or B so I know which one I used the year before and which I can use this year.

I also do this for my holiday themed resources. I use it for both learning units and fun activities.

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I know you might be thinking, doesn't she just have it all on her long range plans and to be honest no. I constantly find new books and resources on TpT and need a system to keep it organized from year to year. This may not be fancy, but it works for me ( and hopefully it works for someone else too!)

I completely agree with you! Sometimes I try to overcomplicate things when all I need is a simple fix! One of the things I {heart} about blogging is all those simple tricks others teachers share! I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend! ~Courtney Polka Dot Lesson Plans

I love your ideas! I pinned your idea about the mentor texts, I a multi-age group, so I have part of my class for 2 years and I don't always keep track of what mentor texts I use. This will make it so easy! I think I will also label art projects and emergency sub plans this way, too!

I have used the numbers for several years, but mine is written sloppily with a marker onto the wood. I may have to spruce them up a bit and put some cute numbers over them. ;)KellyI'm Not Your Grandpa, I'm Your Teacher

I've numbered my coat hooks in the past but for some reason got away from doing it. Why? It seems so simple and such a great idea. Looks like I'll be bringing it back :) Thanks for linking up with such great ideas!!